Dan Owen: Toymaker, Golfer, Chip Leader
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Dan Owen is a retired toymaker, and even though he’s the oldest player at this final table (at 60), his former profession reflects a youthful exuberance and attitude that is serving him well in poker. PokerNews caught up with Owen, who is among the chip leaders, near the end of dinner break:
PokerNews: You’re one of the few people at the table who’s not a professional poker player. Can you tell us what you do?
Dan Owen: I’m retired. I ran a toy company in my real life, and I was lucky enough to retire when I was 50 years old. And obviously you need hobbies, so I play a lot of gold and I started playing Texas Hold’em. I love the game, so even though I’m not a professional, I play a lot, and I’ve been playing a lot for about 10 or 12 years now.
Recently, there’s been a lot made in news and media about poker being a young man’s game. You're the oldest player left in this tournament. Do you think that will affect your chances as the night wears on.
It’s funny, most of the guys I play with and hang out with are 20-30 years younger than I am. It’s all cool. It’s good. I’m still able to think and play poker and enjoy it. So actually, I like the young flavor of the game.
Do you feel like you’re in a good spot against the younger guys at the table?
Yeah. It’s been a roller coaster day. I came in short-stacked and on the second hand I doubled up with a royal flush, which you don’t get very often. I built my chips up at the other table all the up to about 1.5 million, got down to one big blind and then double up twice before we moved over to the final table, and then I doubled up on the second hand I was there, so I’m in good shape. If I’m not the chip leader, I’m close, and I definitely have plenty of chips.
Do you have any special plans for if you win?
Probably nothing that’s out of the ordinary. You know, everybody tells you it’s life changing and everything, and I’ll enjoy it, but playing poker is just one of the things I do.